


The Holy and The Broken

by NocturnalUnicorn



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, Post-TLJ, Reincarnation, Slow Burn, Snoke Being a Dick, The Force Ships It, The Knights of Ren ship it, assholes in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-03-11 18:34:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13530165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NocturnalUnicorn/pseuds/NocturnalUnicorn
Summary: After the Battle of Crait, Kylo and Hux struggle to turn their conflict fraught relationship into something more collaborative. The Force itself, however, has far grander plans for the two ambitious men.





	1. Let's Discuss This Like Adults

Armitage Hux had only been on Crait for a less than a day and had already decided that he hated it. The ground below him was encrusted in a layer of salt which crunched and shifted noisily beneath his feet whenever he took a step, revealing bright, red soil hiding beneath that was too reminiscent of human blood for Hux's liking. The air around him carried a sickening, saline stench that dried out his nostrils. The mountains surrounding the salt flat were tall, craggy, and altogether unwelcoming. Still, Hux couldn't say that he was surprised that the Resistance had picked such an ugly place to hide. It suited them, somehow.  
  
Above all odds, however, the meager remains of the Resistance had managed to escape. A suicidal light speed jump from one of the Resistance ships had also been used to decimate a fair portion of the First Order fleet, and now the remains of the dying ships had to be evacuated. Crait, due to its proximity to the disaster, was to be the meeting place for all of the survivors. A fair number of them had already poured into the old base abandoned by the Resistance, but there were still numerous important officers who needed to be accounted for.   
  
Hux found himself standing beside Kylo Ren and surrounded by First Order officers and stormtroopers. In the center of their gathering stood a portable holoprojector which showed the flickering images of the officers orbiting in the Star Destroyers above. This would be their first briefing since Kylo had declared himself the new Supreme Leader. Kylo had told Hux that the girl from Jakku had been the one to cleave Snoke in two and set the throne room ablaze, but Hux wasn't sure that he believed it. Nonetheless, he didn't really have time to think about the circumstances of this change in power. For now, Hux had to make sure that Kylo Ren wouldn't send the First Order into complete chaos and discord the moment that he opened those plump lips.   
  
"As you already know," said Kylo with a dangerous, jagged edge to his voice, "I have taken the mantle of the Supreme Leader. The force-sensitive girl, the one working for the Resistance, assassinated Supreme Leader Snoke in a futile attempt to destroy us. Obviously, that didn't work. We’re still here, but I will say this: you weren't effective soldiers. Because of you, we weren't able to stop the dregs of the Resistance from getting away. Now I'm left to pick up the pieces."  
  
Kylo assumed a hunched, spread-legged posture reminiscent of a battle stance as he spoke. His teeth were bared and his left eye twitched from time to time. It was a truly childish display.   
  
Hux drew a trembling breath, stroked his red, pomade-tamed hair, put his hands behind his back, and spoke: "Well, Supreme Leader, with all due respect, they got away because YOU got distracted. We could have had them if it weren't for your insistence on getting into a one-on-one brawl in the middle of a battle and..."  
  
"Shut up!" shouted Kylo as he turned to Hux so quickly that his deep, black hair flew around his head as though in orbit.  Kylo raised his hand towards Hux and Hux's heart began to beat louder than he realized it could. Kylo was going to choke him again. Hux reached up to touch his neck, an involuntary and useless attempt at protecting himself. He focused his pale, green eyes directly into Kylo's golden brown ones. Then, a dark memory clawed its way from the depths of Hux’s brain. His father, annoyed at his son’s failure in a physical aptitude test for First Order cadets, had grabbed him by the throat with a fat, meaty fist. The burn had stayed with him for an entire standard week. Hux wasn’t sure why this memory hadn’t surfaced in the throne room when Kylo had choked him before, but perhaps he had been so distracted by the uncertainty of Snoke’s loss that it had stayed put in his subconscious. All Hux could do now was stare at Kylo and hope that he didn’t choke him again. Then, the unthinkable happened.  
  
Kylo furrowed his dark brows and lowered his hand, balling it into a tight fist, "briefing adjourned. I need to take care of some things." It was clear that Kylo was trying to sound calm, but the harshness of his voice betrayed his stress. Kylo stormed towards the back of the base and disappeared into the entrance to the mines. Hux figured that Kylo was going off to throw another of his temper tantrums, which suited him just fine. He would worry about the Supreme Leader later.  
  
Hux turned his attention to the crowd of officers and stormtroopers that surrounded him. They had not left the briefing as Kylo had commanded but instead stood rooted to the floor with gaping mouths and wide eyes.  
  
"Now," said Hux, "who's ready to discuss our course of action?"  
  
The crowd visibly settled.   
  
Hux found that his troops were more than willing to listen to and collaborate with him, perhaps even more so than before. Even the older officers, who Hux suspected didn't appreciate his youth, seemed to be more eager to work with him than with Kylo. Hux couldn't say that he blamed them.    
  
Once the briefing ended, it was decided that they would send fifteen reconnaissance teams out to search Crait for escape pods and evacuation hoppers from the destroyed ships. The sooner they could find their survivors, the better. This, unfortunately, meant that they would have to remain on Crait for the next couple of days rather than pursue the remains of the Resistance, but it was worth it, in Hux's opinion. The Resistance was too small at the current moment to raise any sort of counter-attack and it would be better to seek them out when all troops were sufficiently rested. This would also give Kylo a chance to regain whatever minuscule amount of poise he possessed and lead effectively again. Until Hux disposed of him and took his place, of course. Well, that would have to wait: now was not the time.   


 

  
  
Four hours after the briefing, the skies outside began to darken and Kylo was still nowhere to be found. Officers and stormtroopers alike began to prepare to sleep and retreated to their shuttles, tents, and vehicles to bed down. Hux, in turn, was beginning to feel the heavy pull of exhaustion on his body, and he couldn't say that he was surprised. He hadn't slept for days, after all! He slunk towards the command shuttle that he and Kylo had arrived on and climbed the durasteel bridge that led to the entrance. Once in, he passed the flashing lights of the cockpit and walked towards the sleeping quarters. Hux didn't want to spend too much time agonizing over which room to rest in, so he just opened the first door on the left and walked into the dark and minimally decorated room that lived behind it. It didn't take Hux long to locate the neatly made twin bed in the center. He peeled back the standard-issue grey sheets, removed his outer garments, and climbed in. He would bother with a sonic and change of clothes once he woke up. Hux set up an alert on his comlink that would emit a shrill alarm beep in eight standard hours to ensure that he opened his eyes in a timely manner- exhaustion was no excuse for laziness.   
  
The bed's soft mattress and the cocoon of warm covers were welcome after all of the insanity that Hux had experienced over the past few days. The bed even seemed to soothe the dull ache in his neck and side from Kylo's force attacks. The pillow wasn't particularly fluffy, but it carried a faint smell of expensive shampoo. Hux would have worried about whether or not the sheets had been laundered had he been more awake, but the lure of rest was too powerful to let him think. Instead, Hux drifted into a deep sleep and began to have a vivid dream.

 

 

 

  
Hux found himself in the reddish dawn light of a planet far away. It appeared to be unsettled, as the land that he could see from the balcony that he stood on was blanketed in a dense, never-ending forest.  A man stood beside him and Hux couldn't quite make out his face. All he could glean was that the man was tall, broad, and black-haired. He wore an outdated looking red and white tunic and a silver circlet style crown that reminded Hux of portraits of Elder House members that dated back to the time of the early Republic. A strange, passionate warmth emanated from the man's smile as he turned to Hux and spoke in a deep voice.  
  
"Looks like we finally made it to Birren," he said as he placed a massive hand on the small of Hux's back.   
  
"About time," replied Hux. The words came automatically, as if from a long-forgotten memory, "I'd have gotten ill if I were to stay in hibernation any longer!"  
  
The strange man stroked Hux's back. His hand was warm. "That makes two of us," he said, "sleeper ships are...difficult, but it was worth it. Look at all of the lands I've got for you. For us."  
  
Hux beamed and turned towards his faceless lover. He didn't know why he was doing what he was doing or what was going on, but it felt right. "There’s one more thing that you can give me," said Hux, resting his hand on the other man's cheek and leaning in until their lips barely touched.   
  
"What might that be?" asked the man with a voice just above a whisper.   
  
Hux leaned in more and kissed him hard. Then he felt himself being jolted from the dream that he had forgotten was only a dream.

 

 

 

 

Hux’s eyes snapped open, and he was in the strange bedroom on the command shuttle again. This time, however, something was different: two black-clad figures in frightening masks stood above him, staring at him the way one might a specimen on a microscope slide. An undignified yelp tore from Hux's lips and the two figures stepped back a couple of paces.   
  
"What are you doing in the Master's sleeping quarters?" said the shorter of the two. Their voice was distorted and metallic, likely due to the vocoder in the mask that they were wearing. Hux squinted at the thin, window-like visor that sat where the person's eyes should have been, but the glass seemed to be too black-tinted to see through. He then realized that these people had to be two of Kylo's knights. But why only two? Where were the rest?   
  
"I didn't know that this was the Supreme Leader's room. There isn't a nameplate on the door, after all," said Hux, not caring about how groggy he sounded.   
  
The two knights looked at each other. The taller one whose helmet resembled a keypad stepped forward. "I'm sure you've seen him come in here at least once. You two do spend a great deal of time working together, do you not?"   
  
Working together? That was a laugh. Kylo was near impossible to collaborate with. Even the late Supreme Leader Snoke saw fit to discuss his apprentice's many shortcomings with Hux. Then again, he feared that he may have been similarly picked apart by Kylo and Snoke. He remembered hearing something about a "rabid cur" not too long ago. His head hurt.   
  
"I'm afraid I don't keep tabs on the Supreme Leader's day-to-day habits. I'm not his mother," said Hux.  
  
The two knights turned to each other. The shorter of the two let out a terrifying, distorted giggle and the taller of the two nodded.  
  
"Feisty! I can see why the Master wants to keep him around," said the tall knight with the keypad helmet.  
  
The shorter knight laughed again. "He always did seem to have a type, yanno?"  
  
Hux could feel his annoyance bubbling to the surface of his skin and staining it red. "Do you two have names? I can't just address both of you as 'Ren'."  
  
"I'm Auresh," said the knight with the keypad helmet. They bowed their head in what Hux assumed was a sign of respect.  
  
"Liiro Ren, at your service!" replied the shorter of the two with a voice far too cheerful for a member of a murderous cult.  
  
"Fantastic," said Hux with a tone that implied that the current circumstances were the opposite of fantastic, "why in blazes are you two here? Surely you know that the Supreme Leader ran off into those bloody caves!"  
  
“We know,” replied Liiro, “we actually went looking for him. He wants to talk to you in private. We are to bring you into the mines to visit him.”  
  
Hux pinched the bridge of his nose. “Oh,” he replied, “Kylo Ren wants to get me alone so he can assassinate me.”  
  
“No,” said Auresh, “he only wishes to speak with you. He requires your expertise.”  
  
“That doesn’t sound at all like Kylo Ren,” said Hux.  
  
“You headed up the creation of Starkiller Base. You got rid of the New Republic’s central government. Killing you simply isn’t in his best interest,” said Auresh.  
  
“Yes,” said Liiro, “the First Order needs the Starkiller.”  
  
Hux inhaled so hard that it almost strained his chest, “fine, I will accompany you two, but I have a couple of requests. First, allow me to bring two stormtroopers. The Supreme Leader gets to have you two, so it’s only fair that I bring my own protection. Second, please remove your masks: I want to see your faces when I speak to you.”  
  
“Done,” said Auresh with a solemn nod. They unlatched their helmet to reveal a young Mirialan man. He had yellow-green skin, a constellation of black face tattoos, and glossy, black hair that was shaved to his skull on the right side and long enough to cover his ear on the left.   
  
Liiro reached for the latch on their helmet and took it off. They were a human around the same age as Auresh, but Hux couldn’t discern their gender. They had shaggy, neck-length brown hair and soft features. On their lips was purple lipstick that reminded Hux of the makeup worn by Naboo royalty.   
  
Tension melted from Hux’s every muscle. "Allow me to get cleaned up and I will join you momentarily," he said.

 

 

 

  
Hux decided to bring FN-1258 and FD-4444 along with him. The two of them were excellent at melee combat and didn’t have a tendency to ask too many questions. He had to admit, however, that they didn’t make him feel that much safer. The mines of Crait were both massive and dark. Angry, red crystals burst threateningly from the walls and strange, mineral-furred canids darted to and fro. If that wasn’t enough, Auresh and Liiro walked several paces ahead of Hux and his ‘troopers and seemed to be talking to one another. Conspiring his demise, perhaps? Hux didn’t want to think about it.   
  
Soon, Liiro and Auresh stopped. Liiro gave an energetic wave and pointed to an oddly bright chamber ahead of them.   
  
"In there,” they shouted. Hux had to will his leaden feet to move him forward.   
  
Kylo sat cross-legged in the center of the chamber. He was surrounded by shattered, red crystals- more than likely the result of a violent tantrum. A blue crystal floated between his outstretched hands. Its odd, bright glow reflected off of the glassy chamber walls, speckling red and blue light all over.   
  
Kylo opened his too-wide brown eyes, grabbed the floating crystal out of the air, and placed it on the ground beside him. “Sit,” he said, gesturing towards the space in front of him.   
  
Hux nodded, swiped a few crystal shards out of the way, and sat down across from Kylo.   
  
Kylo ran a gloved hand through his mop of black, curly hair and spoke, “it's about time you came.”  
  
“Well,” said Hux, “you’re the one who slunk away to sulk in the middle of a briefing. You are the Supreme Leader, so you should at least make an effort to run the First Order!”  
  
“Enough,” said Kylo, raising his massive hand, “let’s have a civil conversation about this like adults.”  
  
“Maturity,” said Hux, “very surprising, coming from you. Let’s get this over with and get back to camp.”  
  
“Patience, General,” said Kylo, “we’re going back soon. Don’t get your briefs in a twist.” Kylo wore an arrogant grin and Hux could see his sharp, crooked canine teeth gleaming in the crystalline light.   
  
“That was hardly mature,” said Hux, scratching his palms with his fingernails, “now, let’s talk about why you called me here.”  
  
“You’re the Starkiller,” said Kylo, lifting his head and pointing his narrow chin in Hux’s direction.  
  
“Yes,” replied Hux, “I’m aware.”  
  
“You’ve headed up numerous engineering projects for the First Order,” Kylo said, “the hyperspace tracking. The Battering Ram Canon. Starkiller Base. All you."  
  
"In a sense, yes," said Hux, "I oversaw these projects personally."  
  
"You are also a skilled strategist and military leader. I could see you in command of a dreadnought," said Kylo.  
  
Hux raised a copper eyebrow, "and what's the point of all of this praise? I'm under no illusion that you're fond of me."  
  
"Of course not, General," said Kylo, "I can't stand you, but I do realize that the First Order is made up of many working parts. I can't just throw one part away because I don't like his attitude."  
  
"Go on," said Hux.  
  
"The point is, I need your skills. I want to come to an agreement. I'll spare you and you'll spare me. No force attacks. No assassination attempts.  We don't have to be friends, but we will collaborate," said Kylo.  
  
"What's the incentive?" asked Hux.  
  
"I will be moving my base of operations to that new dreadnought that we just had built. The Terrorizer. I'm gonna give you command of it. You'd best be thankful," said Kylo.  
  
"What about the title of Grand Marshall?" asked Hux, "I have the authority that comes with it, why not just give it to me?"  
  
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. You get my cooperation and command of the Terrorizer. That's my final offer," said Kylo.  
  
"Fine," replied Hux, "you have a deal." Hux then held out his hand for Kylo to shake. The other man reached out and took it in a firm grasp. His fingers alone enveloped most of Hux's hand. Then, they both let go.  
  
Hux then turned his attention to the glowing, blue crystal at Kylo's side. "What is that thing?"  
  
"This is something I plan to discuss with my knights. It's force-user business. I don't think you'd be interested," said Kylo.  
  
Hux rolled his eyes. A silence fell over the chamber for several minutes. He recalled the moment from the previous day when Kylo nearly choked him a second time.   
  
"Why didn't you do it again?" Hux asked.  
  
Kylo looked up, his lips were parted and his eyes flashed with something that Hux couldn't read. The light from the crystal carved out his strong features with deep shadows. Kylo almost looked handsome.   
  
"What do you mean?" asked Kylo.  
  
"Why didn't you choke me again?" clarified Hux.   
  
A pregnant pause fell between the two men. Hux heard the rustling and breathing of Liiro, Auresh, and the two stormtroopers shuffling around outside of the chamber.   
  
"I don't know," replied Kylo.  
  
More silence.  
  
"Let's get back to camp," said Hux. His voice held an almost gentle edge that he had forgotten that he was capable of.   
  
"Yeah," said Kylo, picking up the glowing crystal, standing, and walking towards the entrance of the chamber, "let's go back."  
  
Hux stood and began to follow after Kylo. It was time to see if Kylo would keep his promise.   
  
  
  
  
  


 


	2. Breathe in, Breathe Out

Kylo couldn't believe that Hux couldn't resist asking for a promotion after the generous deal that Kylo had struck with him. Typical Hux, always so insubordinate and quarrelsome. Kylo also couldn't believe that he was unable to bring himself to choke the man for undermining him during the briefing. He’d had a lapse in judgment, a momentary weakness. One of Hux’s thoughts, one that Kylo had assumed must have been a memory, had floated to the surface of Hux’s mind and into Kylo’s head. There was a large ginger man and a strangling sensation. It gave Kylo a prickling of an unnamed emotion at the back of his skull, one that he had felt after glimpsing Rey’s past. Was it empathy? He hoped not: empathy was a sign of weakness, and Kylo couldn't be weak towards the man who would likely try to betray him in spite of the deal that he had just agreed to.

The walk back to camp wasn't a long one, but it felt as though it took far longer than it should have due to the heavy silence that hung in the air around them. Even Auresh and Liiro remained subdued. Kylo didn't break the silence, there was no point, and perhaps silence would inspire contemplation and eventually, paralyzing fear in Hux. Kylo grazed along the edge of Hux’s surface thoughts. He sensed that the man was very nervy in addition to being proud. The novelty of his promotion hadn't worn off, so Kylo would have to wait a while until Hux’s anxiety bloomed into full-blown fear in order to take advantage of it. But was that what he really wanted? What fun would a Supreme Leader’s power be if he didn't have someone to fight for it?

 

 

 

It didn't take Kylo long to regain control of his troops when he returned. He had embarrassed himself with his oversight in emotional control earlier, but he and his knights were sufficiently terrifying enough to bring order back to the slack masses. Still, Hux seemed to have more camaraderie with the troops. Well, the younger ones, at least. He felt an undercurrent of resentment directed at Hux from Peavey and other old Imperials, so it wasn't unanimous. Nonetheless, the younger troops flocked to the ginger-haired man’s side, asking demanding questions about what had transpired in the mines.

”The Supreme Leader had important matters to attend to within the mines,” Hux said, ”you know about his...powers. He sensed something there that needed to be seen to.” With that, Hux gave Kylo a measured look. Kylo tried to read the other man’s surface thoughts again, but found only a jumble of engineering equations. Great, Hux had figured out that Kylo was trying to look into his mind!

This was, nonetheless, an opening for Kylo to speak, and he had discovered something of interest deep in the mines, though admittedly, by accident. He stepped into the center of the crowd and reached into the pocket of his pants to retrieve the blue crystal. Several officers and unmasked stormtroopers shielded their eyes from the bright glow emanating from it.

“These mines have a kyber deposit, but this type of kyber seems to be different. The Force signature is stronger, brighter. We could harvest this kyber and use it to our advantage.”

A young female officer stepped forward, her thin lips drawn in a taut line, ”with all due respect, Supreme Leader, why do we need magic rocks?” she said. Kylo wasn't sure whether or not he would call her brave or stupid. The crowd around them seemed just as dismayed at her behavior. Another officer started making frantic gestures for her to stop.

“Kyber powered Starkiller Base,” replied Kylo, hoping that this alone would be enough to jog the young woman’s memory and silence her.

“Starkiller Base is gone,” replied the young officer, “why should we even bother with yet another kyber-powered project?” Someone gasped.

Kylo held out an arm. “I don't need insubordination,” he said. Then he felt a hand gently pulling his arm back down to his side. Hux’s pale, thin body had appeared beside Kylo. He shot Kylo another measured look before he spoke.

“Listen to Supreme Leader Ren,” said Hux, “though I loathe to admit it, he does have a point. We need this kyber. Starkiller Base may be gone, but it was far from a failure. Let the Supreme Leader speak. I will see to your punishment later. I suggest that you don't try something like this again.”

The young officer averted her gaze downward and said nothing more. Hux turned towards Kylo and nodded. The corner of his mouth gave a small twitch and Kylo couldn't help but notice how plump and pink his lips were. Kylo again tried to scan Hux’s mind, on the off chance that he might catch him off guard, and he was once again met with equations.

“As I was saying,” said Kylo, “this kyber is powerful. We could use it for future technological endeavors. Ask Hux, he knows. We could be able to take down more than just a single star system with kyber of this grade.”

“Supreme Leader,” said Peavey, the bags under his eyes looking even more pronounced than usual, “do you have a plan in regards to extracting this kyber? I would like to see to it that it gets done.”

“There’s mining equipment in here.” replied Kylo, ”it’s old, but it will do the job. Captain Peavy, I will put you in charge of organizing a squadron or two of stormtroopers to go and get it. You shouldn't need many more than that. It's a pretty small deposit, but it will still be useful. Auresh will show you where it is. Get to it immediately, you have all been standing around for far too long.”

“Yes sir,” replied Peavey. Kylo caught the older man rolling his eyes, but decided that he would reprimand him later. He would have to remind these subordinates of who their new Supreme Leader was.

 

 

 

 

After adjourning the second, more successful briefing, Kylo decided that it was time to retire to his quarters on the command shuttle. He needed to discuss his discovery in private with Liiro and was considering taking a nap. He hadn't slept for several standard days, and he assumed that any further administrative duties for that day could wait a few hours.

Hux, however, seemed to have other plans. He half-jogged in front of Kylo and blocked his entrance to the shuttle.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Hux said, wearing an infuriating (yet oddly charming) smirk.

“Leave me alone, General,” Kylo said, letting his tired irritability overtake him.

“My, my, that isn't any way to talk to the person who gave you a lesson in how to deal with insubordination without choking people,” said Hux, crossing his arms over his thin chest.

“Hux,” hissed Kylo through gritted teeth, but the man in question interrupted him.

“Don't try to choke me, now. You remember our deal,” he said.

“I wasn't going to,” said Kylo, “did you just come here to gloat, or what?”

“No,” said Hux, “I was just going to suggest that you stay out of my head. That, and I was about to let you know that I am glad that you made the decision to harvest that kyber. With something that powerful, I could work with the engineering team to create something truly special.” Hux tilted his chin upward. The skin against the collar of his tunic was soft.

“I look forward to seeing what you come up with,” said Kylo. He made sure to bump Hux’s shoulder as he walked past him.

“I promise that you shall find my ideas useful,” said Hux before turning around and walking in the opposite direction.

 

 

 

 

“You discusses this with Auresh and I earlier,” said Liiro, swaying from side-to-side as though drunk, “how else can I help you?”

“Keep looking through all of those texts scanned onto your datapad. Look to see if there’s anything about kyber crystals that can touch the Force in other universes,” Kylo replied. He wasn’t sure that Liiro’s research would be sufficient to answer all of his questions, but it, along with attempting to connect to the crystal’s Force signature himself, might yield some answers.

The strange blue kyber had drawn Kylo in, even through his blinding rage. He had stopped using his lightsaber to destroy the cave around him and instead put it to use in carving a chunk out of the crystal out of the glowing, blue crystal vein in the wall. The crystal had given him a vision of a wild planet, a faceless ginger lover, and a kiss. It disturbed him, but he elected to study this strange kyber, anyway. It was clearly very powerful.

“Other universes?” said Liiro, “I'm intrigued, Master Kylo.”

“I had a vision,” said Kylo, “I think I saw myself in another life. We could use this, I think.”

“We probably could,” said Liiro, with a soft lilt, “if you don’t mind me asking, what did you see? Any scrap of information can help me research.”

Kylo bit his lip. “I don’t know,” he said, “I was on a wild planet, and I...didn’t know who I was with.”

Liiro tapped their chin and looked upwards, “is there anything else you want me to know, Master?”

“No,” replied Kylo, “that’s all that I can recall.”

“Fantastic, Master Kylo,” said Liiro, “I will look through my books. I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll let you know if I find something. I’ll also update the others on the situation.”

“Thank you, Liiro,” said Kylo, “please excuse me.”

The Knight and the Supreme Leader nodded at one another and parted ways.

 

 

 

 

Kylo’s nap was deep and dreamless. When he awoke, the room was much darker than it had been before he had fallen asleep. He looked down at his datapad to check the time. He had slept for three hours, but it wasn't nighttime yet. There were a few notifications waiting for him, though. One stated that Phasma had been recovered and was in critical condition. The others were simply updates on the mining and search efforts. Kylo sent a a series of brief replied and put his datapad down again. Things were slowing down and it was time to meditate over the kyber crystal again.

Kylo decided that the constant buzz of human thought that echoed through the base would not help his efforts. The salt flats outside seemed to be quiet enough, and far closer than the mines. He trekked outside of the base’s great metal door and found that it was raining. The rain’s gentle pitter patter was already putting him into a trance. He remembered a moment in Ben Solo’s life. Ben had made a scene at a political event that his mother had dragged him to and had forced his parents to cut their stay short. He had lain down on his bed with tears in his eyes and blood on his hands and listened to his parents arguing about what to do with him. Then, he had heard the sound of the rain dancing against the window beside his bed. Breath in, breath out. Everything will be okay. He had repeated this mantra and recalled the sound of the rain later in life after he had become Kylo Ren and had suffered under Snoke’s harsh training. Was it training or torture? Breathe in, breathe out. He was going to figure this out.

The salt flats were covered in a long, continuous puddle that reflected the churning, grey sky. Kylo sat cross-legged on the ground, pulled the crystal out of his pocket, and got to work. He focused his energy towards the bright center of the crystal’s Force signature. A hot, metallic tasting power filled Kylo’s head and mouth. He saw a million lives at once, all flashing before him quicker than he could process them. He felt like the scrambled brain of a malfunctioning droid. Then, Hux’s face pushed itself to the front of Kylo’s mind, insistent and bright. Kylo tried to push the image aside, but found that it kept coming back. Kylo pushes further into the power of the crystal. He could still hear the rain, so he breathed in and breathed out.


End file.
